We should think like the Israelis as well when it comes to commerce and industries. Today for instance I realized that many of my clients are Israelis. I'm working on a huge medical congress. The amount of people that came from other areas of the Middle East or other 'Islamic' nations was extremely low. That hurt. Oh, about the fact that Somalis seem to be pretty everywhere. I do have to agree. When I was in South Korea for 5 months, I even found Somali people. LOL. We are like jews on the 'scattered' part. There is much possible in Somalia and sadly to say, maybe we realized our full potential at one of our lowest points. From now on we can only go but up. My personal plans aren't as big as yours NUUNE, but it is possible if only the leaders, intellectuals and planners can agree that being a 3rd world country in this globalized world is unacceptable. I do hope that we do more trade with Asian countries, instead of the West that is in decay. Countries such as China, Japan and South Korea who have an amazing apetite for a lot of our resources. Be it myrrh, frankincense, frozen meat, oil/gas (if there is such), iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, uranium, copper, salt and the list goes on. Did you know for instance that South Koreans export the most aloe vera drinks in the world? Also myrrh for other cosmetic related products and medicine. Uganda already sees this potential. http://allafrica.com/stories/200704230896.html Think outside the box. That for instance something as simple as myrrh and frankincense are hugely needed in Asian countries that perform rituals for their religion, life style or health. I wonder if it is really true what foreigners always say about the Somali people and their entrepreneurial spirit and skills. Language is also key in this. I truly hope other languages will be spoken widely and taught in the future Somalia. I'm not talking about Arabic, but for instance English and other Asian languages that will be extremely important in the near future.

Turkish Red Crescent to Launch Urban Renewal Project in Mogadishu Monday, 7 May 2012 Turkish Red Crescent Society is set to launch an urban renewal project in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, and an agreement has been penned with Somali government to that end, the society's head said Saturday. Ahmet Lutfi Akar said Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality would offer technical support in the renewal project as a solution partner of the Turkish Red Crescent. "A fleet of heavy construction equipment would arrive in Mogadishu in June. We have a budget of 100 million USD, all of which is dedicated to this project. We will rebuild Mogadishu," Akar said.

Turkish Red Crescent to Launch Urban Renewal Project in Mogadishu Monday, 7 May 2012 Turkish Red Crescent Society is set to launch an urban renewal project in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, and an agreement has been penned with Somali government to that end, the society's head said Saturday. Ahmet Lutfi Akar said Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality would offer technical support in the renewal project as a solution partner of the Turkish Red Crescent. "A fleet of heavy construction equipment would arrive in Mogadishu in June. We have a budget of 100 million USD, all of which is dedicated to this project. We will rebuild Mogadishu," Akar said. Compare that with UK + USA - Only 9.5 million dollars UK and U.S. Contribute $9.5 million to Mogadishu Stabilization Plan 3 MAY 2012 28 February 2012 | Mogadishu , Somalia Today Minister Abdisamad Maalim Mohamud of the Somalia Ministry of Interior and National Security officially launched the Mogadishu Stabilization Plan, a partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID) supported by $9.5 million of U.S. and UK funding. Transition Federal Government (TFG) officials from the national, regional, and district authorities have been working with peace committees from each of the 16 Districts of Mogadishu to design in-kind community projects. Supported by USAID and DFID and called by Somalis “Dan Guud” (“In the public interest”), the projects are designed to promote stabilization and reconciliation. These projects are part of USAID, DFID, and TFG cooperation on stabilization activities, to promote district level consensus building through the development of district-level, quick-impact projects. Activities are chosen by District Peace Committees and community members through consensus, and may include road clearance, street lighting, building rehabilitation, or community events. “We see the Dan Guud Program as the most ambitious project to be implemented in Mogadishu in recent times… The Somali government is encouraged by the efforts of USAID and DFID and it is grateful for the funds. We hope to see this type of programming outside of Mogadishu in the near future,” said Minister Abdisamad Maalim Mohamud. “On behalf of the people of Mogadishu, I’d like to sincerely thank USAID and DFID for the different projects it is funding in districts of Mogadishu. I’m sure that Dan Guud… will help the city rise from the ashes,” said the Mayor of Mogadishu, Mohamud Ahmed Nur. In partnership with the Somali people, USAID has provided more than $300 million in assistance since 2011 to support humanitarian needs, peace, and recovery. DFID’s aid programme in Somalia plans to spend an average of £69 million per year until 2015, promoting longer-term stability and directly improving the lives of poor Somalis. Both nations believe in the Somali people and the future of stability in Somalia.

Great news. If peace is officially declared within years, imagine how many people will return. Somalis will return in masses, each with a peaceful mind and ideas how to make the city and the rest of the country successful and commercial again. It is awesome that a lot of times when one talks about Mogadishu in the media you will hear about how it was one of Africa's most beautiful cities. It is as if the world longs for that to return. Imagine it to be a cosmopolitan city again where the Somali language reigns, but where one can hear people speak English, Arabic and Kiswahili. The strategic location makes it possible to be an international business hub. The tourism potential is also almost limitless for the entire diverse country.

I wonder what they will be talking about. This is a 3 day visit and I bet they have a lot of things to discuss. They do seem to be happy meeting him.

There are model cities everywhere. I especially like the 'Asian' way of thinking. For instance, when I was studying in Seoul, South Korea I noticed that even though this city is the world's second largest metropolitan area with over 25 million inhabitants, it has an excellent public transport system. Especially their subway system is top notch. I have almost never felt crowded. This country has an immense need for resources and minerals and would probably help teach us in the future in developing a functioning infrastructure if we asked for it. They are known to be good business partners. 한국을 사랑해!

I wonder who the people are that will take up the task of urban planning in Somalia, specifically in Mogadishu. I hope that bike trails and the importance of them will not be neglected. We can learn a lot from countries such as Denmark and the Netherlands. I hope Mogadishu can be the best city for biking in all of East Africa. It's even healthy and could be useful as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes is something some Somalis are facing. Cities such as Lagos, Nigeria are extremely congested due to lack of know how and skills, but also in seeing how important it is to have good infrastructure that is the basis of a well functioning economy. I don't want Mogadishu to become like Lagos. We need wide pavements, wide avenues, trees and benches all over, good roads and connections to ports, airports and competitive cities etc. Also, I wonder if the old 'colonial' centre of Mogadishu in the Italian and Arabic style will be rebuilt in the same style or will we abandon them. This could be a unique selling points for tourism. But if we can come up with our own architectural style it could be great as well. Zoning is also a good thing for cities in Somalia. For instance Malaysia has 95 percents of the population within 5 kilometers of a government healthcare facility. For pharmacies this of course closer. The question lies, how can we make it the pearl of the Indian Ocean again. Now the title has been given away to Sri Lanka.

This reminds me of the Ottoman empire and their recruiting of 'Jannisary', translated as new soldier. Every five years the Turkish administrators would scour their regions for the strongest sons of the sultan's Christian subjects. The Janissaries were chosen before they reached adulthood from among the Christian population living in Anatolia and the Balkan peninsula to become the elite fighting force of the Ottoman Empire. These boys, usually between the ages of 10 and 12, were then taken from their parents and given to the Turkish families in the provinces to learn Turkish language and customs, and the rules of Islam; these boys were then enrolled in Janissary training. The recruit was immediately introduced to the religion of Islam. He was supervised 24 hours a day and subjected to severe discipline: he was prohibited from growing a beard, taking up a skill other than war, or marrying. The Janissaries were extremely well disciplined (a rarity in the Middle Ages). They lived in barracks, serving as policemen, palace guards and firefighters during peacetime. They campaigned with their own medical teams of Muslim and Jewish surgeons; their sick and wounded were evacuated to dedicated mobile hospitals set up behind the lines. They were admired. Greek Historian Dimitri Kitsikis in his book, Türk Yunan İmparatorluğu ("Turco-Greek Empire") states that many Christian families were willing to comply with this because it offered the possibility of great social advancement. Conscripts could one day become Janissary colonels; statesmen who might one day return to their motherland as governor; or even Grand Vizier or Beylerbey (governor general), with a seat in the divan (imperial council). Their loyalty was only to the state that provided for them.

Have you ever heard of aerotropolis? Cities build around airports. This is very interesting. When i was studying in Seoul, South Korea I've noticed that their public transport, especially the subway system, is one of the best. I also hope that the 'new Somalia' in the future will become a bike friendly country that will promote good health by staying active. Imagine it being the best country for bike travelling? That would be a great unique selling point it's just part of my 'Dutch mentality' I guess.

If you want to delete some of those 'human rights', for instance based on freedom of sexuality it is possible. Haha. You sound like an American Republican.

@ Carafaat. I do understand that articles etc. can be added later on to the constitution, but I just want to push on the importance of adding these things to the constitution. If now or later. The one in 1960 was a little bit more 'complete' and clear. That's all. The constitution of 2010 is a great start as a constitution. Giving Somalis human rights and dignified positions. I did however not see that the human rights are based upon the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 10 December 1948. It did talk about 'general standards of international law and justice'. Maybe this directs to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Bescherming tegen kinderarbeid etc. stond al wel in de Somalisch grondwet van 1960. Dat kan nog wel toegevoegd worden aan die van 2012.

I do see some limitations to the 2010 constitution draft. Such as if some prohibitations are punishible or not. Examples: slavery, forced labor and female mutilation. I do agree that no other religion than Islam should be propagated. But then at article 22 it says that a person is free to practice his or her own religion. The religions that are allowed in Somalia should be clearly stated as other countries do. At the same time 'no Muslim can renounce Islam'. Which sounds very contrary. The freedom of assembly should be limited in a manner as the 2010 constitution states that ' A person has the right to gather peacefully with others, and to demonstrate and protest peacefully without the necessity to seek prior authorization.' The limitations to this freedom of assembly should be stated to preserve the moral code. Because if one has the right to for instance promote SATANISM or whatever, this person is protected by the constitution. The qualifications of the president are not too clearly defined as he can be of any religion without much religious practice and still run a Muslim country. I am very interested in how Shari'ah will be implemented in the new Somalia and not be misused as a misogynist tool. I am happy that a woman according to law is equal to a man. Which means we do not need 2 females in court to stand equal to 1 man. And that the constitution talks about human dignity and that 'the state power must not be exercised in a manner that disregards human dignity.' One could for example compare it with Iran or Saudi Arabia that disregards human dignity. An example for that is forced covering of the female population. The right to vote should be defined a little more complete, such as the 1960's constitution that says 'The vote shall be personal, equal, free and secret.' Also, I did not read much about labour rules and laws such as the one's in the 1960 constitution. The minimum and maximum hours should be either stated or said by whom it will be chosen. Also the protection of minors and minimum age for work. Protections against discrimination at work, the importance of equal pay for the same job or qualifications, that no immoral work shall be accepted (prostitution etc.) And the protection against unsuitable working conditions.

'The Prime Minister reiterated that the delivery of the draft constitution represents a significant milestone in the path towards a new constitution for the Somali people with compliance of Shari ‘a Law and will usher a new era of constitutional processes that will enable the Somali people to become a society bound by a constitutional regime based on humane foundational principles and objective fair processes, and never ever to be dictated to by the whims of powerful individuals, groups or ideologies. ...This constitution belongs to the Somali people- men, women, children, old. If we use it properly, maintain it properly, improve it properly, it can become a powerful instrument for our collective liberation from oppression, human rights violations and all forms of indignities. Used properly, it will also usher in greater freedoms, economic development and prosperity.” Concluded the Prime Minister.' How will Sharia law be implemented in the new Somalia? To be honest I am more for a stable secular country where religion is not imposed on everyone. Where religion can be practiced and is more based on one's own imaan. The state should never enforce one to believe. Compulsed religion is futile. - Will there be a death penalty for those that do not practice Islam or reject islam? - Will there be stoning as a punishment? - Can women choose to wear the veil and are their rights as individuals protected? - Are women equal to men in Sharia law? - Will everything men and women be seperated everywhere? When I was in K.S.A for instance women even had to go to another line at the cashier. - Will music be forbidden? - Will freedom of expression and art be limited or non-existent? - Is there going to be a police for 'decency' or modesty police to check if everyone is acting and dressing 'Islamically'? And the list goes on. As the current prime minister talks about liberation from oppression, human rights violations and all forms of indignities, I wonder what he is talking about. I agree with this guy only on this part. ''If Sharia is imposed in Somalia as strictly as it is in some other Muslim countries, you're begging for trouble." J. Peter Pham, Director of the Michael Ansari Africa Center at the Atlantic Council in Washington D.C http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Drafting-Somalias-Constitution-Opens-Debate-on-Religion-Law-144862645.html I have not seen the the (draft) constition yet, since I don't think it's fully available yet for people to look at it. What do you guys think? Should we be worried about Sharia law, since this is an extremely subjective matter that is not fixed? http://votingfemale.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/sharia-compliant-or-else.jpg

"This [Puntland] constitution, which is based on Islamic Shari'ah law....'' Please forgive my ignorance, but what do people mean when they talk about Shari'ah law? I do know in essence what it is, but a lot of people talk about it as if it is something static and fixed. Does Shari'ah law mean things such as inheritance where the woman gets less than a man. Do women have no choice in wearing a hijab? And are people's hands are cut off when they steal? Or is this going to be something different than the 'Al Shabaab'. Because connecting the words progressive and Shari'ah law in my head sounds like an oxymoron. I'm just trying to imagine the atmosphere in a new Somalia.

Arabs holding black slaves is very common in Mauritania. I've read about this before, but seeing the images with it makes it even stronger. This is disgusting. And hearing that one of the ex-slave masters found the French Revolution amazing and couldn't find freedom and dignity in his own religious textbook makes me confused. Please watch this video. And no this is no propaganda. This is happening for real.

Hello everyone. This is my first post and excuse me for my errors in spelling if I make them, since I'm residing in the Netherlands. I'd like to talk about Somalia and the rebuilding of the country. I do know that our country has a long way to go, but I still believe it's important to talk about these matters. I'm mainly interested in urban planning and conserving heritage sites. Looking at other major cities such as Nariobi, Kenya, Kampala in Uganda and Kigali, Rwanda I can see that urban planning is one of the major topics in East Africa. I find that thoughtful urban planning can make cities extremely competitive and help economies grow fast. Kigali, Rwanda urban planning Kigali, Rwanda urban planning Of course these examples are not directly applicable for cities such as Mogadishu yet. But I'd like to talk about some ideas that could be helpful in Mogadishu for the city and business life. Rebuilding of heritage sites Tourism can be a huge influx of money (direct and indirect) for the capital and also for other cities in Somalia. The rebuilding of heritage sites is important for tourism and conserving heritage, culture and history. The city centre of Mogadishu (was) extremely rare and unique in the world. This can be a place where many people from the world would come to see. That is why I think these heritage sites should be rebuild with great care and in their original form if possible. Bike trails Bike trails throughout the city can help people getting to their jobs quickly and promote a healthy way of living. It is also important to stop cities in Somalia being overcrowded with cars. This also helps in reducing the carbon footprint and a better air quality. I truly hope that Mogadishu could be the best city to ride a bike in all of Africa. Such as Montreal being the best city to ride a bike in North America or Copenhagen/Amsterdam the greatest cities to ride a bike in Europe. Planting of trees Human beings are prone to love being in nature and it is our 'natural' habitat. This is why people in urbanized country need tobe reminded that nature is near. Planting of trees all over the city is a must. And this helps with a better air quality and more oxygen. Zoning Zoning is handy for structuring the city. Such as to decide where the international centre is, and after how many 100 meters there has to be a pharmacy or supermarket etc. This is also important for housing and that it should be forbidden to build a house at certain areas. Wide pavement and benches. Boulevards are very typical for Mogadishu. This should be promoted more and built in every city of Somalia. I especially love the boulevards in Paris, France. This is good for enjoying the city life and a feeling of a less busy city. Benches should be all over the city. And pavements should be wide. Mogadishu in my opinion should be a 'pedestrian and bike friendly city'. Most cities in Africa are extremely overcrowded and people walk over the roads. Chaos seems to rule. This should not be the case for Mogadishu. It has the potential to be a great city. Aurotropolis New cities are built around and not too far from airports. A city that was recently built is Songdo, South Korea. While I was studying in South Korea I have also seen many interesting things that make the city of Seoul run fast. For instance Seoul focussesmore on fast transit through a clean and efficient subway system and one card for all use of transport ( taxi / metro / bus andyou can even use that card in supermarkets) But this is only for the far future of Somalia. Mogadishu could make use of it's great location in the world. It also has the potential to be a great convention city of East Africa for business leisure. What do you think about urban planning in Somali and what are your ideas? Let's talk about this. All I know is that planning should be big and sustainable. Watch these videos to see how new competitive cities are being built.